Steve-a-reno's to close to make way for new bar

In a month, Steve-a-reno's Rock & Roll Blues Bar on West Santa Rosa Street will close.

The bar's owner, Steve Jaschke, said he's expecting to close shop March 15 to make room for a new bar concept that will take over.

"I was starting to get burned out," said Jaschke, who manages the bar in addition to his full-time job as a piping designer. "It's always been a dream of mine to have a bar. ... It's a bittersweet deal."

Jaschke said he needs some time off to regroup and figure out where, when and whether he wants to reopen in another location.

He's optimistic, he said, that this is not the final stop for Steve-a-reno's, which opened in 2012.

The building's owner, Victoria jeweler Torin Bales, said he has received an offer on the property by two Houston buyers with bar and promoter backgrounds who have roots in Victoria.

He doesn't know whether the new owners have nailed down a bar concept, but Bales said it would be a positive for the downtown Victoria night scene.

"My intention was not to sell the building, but I was approached by two young gentlemen who didn't want to lease; they wanted to buy," Bales said.

The building is under contract, and Bales said the deal is expected to close in 60 days.

Bales and Jaschke said they are friends and are parting on amicable terms.

"It will be a positive thing for downtown," Bales said. "The new place will be a fun place to be."